| Molded products based upon textured vegetable protein -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Molded products based upon textured vegetable proteinMolded products based upon textured vegetable protein description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080233243, Molded products based upon textured vegetable protein. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to animal chews and pet treats, particularly for dogs, cats and other related animals, and more particularly, to a molded animal chew or pet treat which may contain textured vegetable protein (TVP). The TVP may be present at a relatively high concentration as compared to other ingredients, and may include a resin binder and a plasticizer. The chew or treat may also be enriched with vitamins, minerals and/or herb additives to facilitate the delivery of such ingredients to the animal through the chewing process. BACKGROUNDA variety of disclosures exist pertaining to the development of edible dog chews that are digestible and nutritious along with a texture that can be individually adjusted to suit a wide variety of a dog's preferences or needs. Attention is therefore directed to the following exemplary disclosures: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,180,161 “Heat Modifiable Edible Dog Chew; 6,159,516 “Method of Molding Edible Starch; 6,126,978 “Edible Dog Chew”; 6,110,521 “Wheat and Casein Dog Chew with Modifiable Texture”; 6,093,441 “Heat Modifiable Peanut Dog Chew”; 6,093,427 “Vegetable Based Dog Chew”; 6,086,940 “High Starch Content Dog Chew”; 6,067,941 “Animal Chew”; 6,056,991 “Turkey and Rice Dog Chew With Modifiable Texture”; 5,941,197 “Carrot Based Dog Chew”; 5,827,565 ‘Process for Making an Edible Dog Chew”; 5,339,771 “Animal Chew Toy Containing Animal Meal; 5,240,720 “Dog Chew with Modifiable Texture”; 5,200,212 “Dog Chew with Modifiable Texture”. Attention is also directed to U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,474 entitled “Application for Patent for Nutriceutical Toy” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,283 entitled “Animal Chew Toy of Starch Material and Degradable Ethylene Copolymer”. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,586,027 and 6,916,497 both entitled “Health Chew Toy” are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and are included herein in their entirety by reference. These patents are directed at molded, completely digestible, nutritious animal chews, enriched with vitamins, minerals and/or herb additives. Chew products have been defined as articles which may be intended for chewing by the animal for an extended period of time to provide exercise, clean the animal's teeth and even provide nutrition. Pet treats may be distinguished from chews in that they may be intended to be chewed for a relatively short time and then digested, often offered to the animal as a reward for accomplishing a trick or task. In either case, in today's world of weight watching, even for pets, it may be important for treats and chews to be nutritious and organic as well as providing at least a portion of the daily recommended amounts of such ingredients, and even provide functional benefits to the animal. Additives may be included in such chews and treats, targeted at specific systems within the animal's body and/or the proper functioning of those systems over a given or extended time period. Of particular interest are chews and treats for pets which may be low in fat content, gluten free and relatively high in protein. While the above certainly contributes to the body of chew products and treats available to an animal, there is nonetheless a need to improve on the above, particularly with respect to heat forming (e.g. molding) and incorporating protein products within such chew products. SUMMARYIn a first exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a molded animal chew or pet treat comprising resin, plasticizer and textured vegetable protein (TVP), wherein the TVP is present at a level of equal to or greater than about 50% by weight, and wherein the textured vegetable protein comprises fibrous material wherein the plasticizer content is less or equal to about 40% by weight. In a second exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for forming an edible animal chew toy or pet treat comprising combining resin, a plasticizer and TVP to form a mixture, wherein the TVP is present at a level of equal to or greater than about 50% by weight, and wherein the textured vegetable protein comprises fibrous material. This may then be followed by introducing the mixture to a heated molding machine and molding and cooling the mixture to form the chew toy or pet treat wherein the plasticizer content of said chew toy is less than or equal to about 40% by weight. In a third exemplary embodiment the present disclosure relates to a method for direct injection molding textured vegetable protein in an injection molding machine including a screw, a barrel and a mold to produce a molded animal chew or pet treat. The method includes introducing TVP, a resin and plasticizer directly into an injection molding machine wherein the TVP is present at a level of equal to or greater than about 50% by weight, and wherein the textured vegetable protein comprises fibrous material. This may be followed by mixing the resin, the textured vegetable protein and the plasticizer in said molding machine to provide a mixture and forming said mixture into a molded shape. With regard to such direct injection molding process, a modified screw may be used which may include a transition zone that is greater than one-half the length of the feed zone. DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe present invention relates to the development of a molded resin-based edible chew toy or pet that includes textured vegetable protein (TVP). The vegetable protein may be present at levels of greater than or equal to about 50% by weight, including all values and increments therein. For example, between about 50% by weight to 99% by weight. Therefore, the TVP may comprise, for example, between 50%-60% by weight of the molded product, 50%-75% of the molded product, etc. The TVP may then provide a totally organic product which may further be enriched with vitamins, minerals, herbs, nutraceuticals, phytonutrients, etc., to contribute to the overall nutritional needs/requirements of an animal. The TVP may also include relatively low molecular plasticizers (e.g. MW less than 2500, including room temperature liquids) to improve the molding characteristics of the TVP in a given heated molding environment (e.g., injection molding, extrusion, compression molding, calendaring, etc.). The plasticizer content may be less than or equal to about 40% by weight, including all values and increments therein. For example, the plasticizer content in the final molded product may be less than or equal to about 20% by weight. Textured vegetable protein herein may be understood as any vegetable protein product that has a fibrous structure. By fibrous structure it may be understood as a particulate material having a length dimension that exceeds a width or thickness measurement. TVP may be formed from defatted soy flour, which may be sourced as a by-product from the manufacture of soybean oil, and may contain 50% soy protein. It may therefore be hydrated before use. The fibrous structure of TVP may therefore approach the texture of meat. Texture may therefore be understood as a consideration of physical features of the food products, such as compressibility. It may also be appreciated that the textured vegetable protein may come from a variety of other sources, such as grains (e.g. wheat) cereals, nuts, seeds, legumes, yeast, beans and/or fruits, and mixtures thereof. One example of a TVP suitable for use herein may be sourced from Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur, Ill., which reportedly contains crude protein (53%), moisture (9%), crude fat (3.0%), dietary fiber (18%) and about 32% carbohydrates. Such product may specifically include product sold under the designation TVP163 and/or TVP 165. Such product may also include vitamins and minerals and various amino acids. Therefore, in the context of the present disclosure, a TVP may be understood as a product that as noted above, includes a fibrous structure, and which contains more than about 50% protein (which may be derived from a soy product) along with other miscellaneous ingredients. In addition, given the use of the TVP noted above, it may now be appreciated that the treats or chews that may be produced herein may specifically be such that they are relatively wheat-gluten free. This may be understood as a level of wheat-gluten that is less than or equal to about 5.0% by weight. Wheat gluten is reference to the amorphous mix of proteins that is typically sourced from the flour of wheat and other grains by removal of the starch component. Wheat gluten is often identified as the component that may provide for the elasticity of kneaded dough and may typically be present in a variety of baked products. Further, treats or chews which contain fiber, are low in fat, are gluten free and are relatively high in protein content may be of particular value. Accordingly, textured vegetable protein, such as TVP® 163 or 165 from Archer Daniels Midland, was combined with water and glycerine in the ratios shown in Table 1, below, and supplied to an injection molding machine to form molded dog chews.
Thank you for viewing the Molded products based upon textured vegetable protein patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.07298 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Novartis , Pfizer , Philips , Polaroid , Procter & Gamble , 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents